Dursley family 'desperate' to move home for daughter's needs

Nick Griffiths says 17-year-old Bailey needs a different home to meet her needs

A family say they are desperate to move to a more suitable home for the sake of their teenage daughter, who has cerebral palsy.

Nick Griffiths said there is not enough room in the house for 17-year-old Bailey to live there comfortably.

He said Stroud District Council would not permit an extension and had not found them an alternative property.

The council said it "sympathised" with the family's situation and would "continue to seek a solution for them".

The situation is taking its toll on the family, says Mr Griffiths

Mr Griffiths has lived in the house in Dursley for 10 years, with wife Laura and their three children, one of whom is a baby.

The couple have given up their jobs in order to be full-time carers for Bailey and said the situation, which has been ongoing for more than two years, was taking its toll on all of them.

"Bailey has got bigger, all of her equipment has got bigger, she's got more of it. It's hard. Just entering our front door is very difficult, you scrape the walls, get stuck," he said.

"It is really difficult to keep moving everything every day. She can only lie in one spot in the living room which is in front of the door so we all have to stand over her, which she hates, to get in and out," added Mr Griffiths.

Mr Griffiths says just getting in the front door of their home is difficult

He said they required a larger home that could be adapted for Bailey's needs but have been told by the council they are not allowed to build an extension. They were offered a different house in Wotton-under-Edge in December, only to have the offer withdrawn, Mr Bailey said.

The district council said adaptions to the home "have been explored but they would compromise the safety of the building" and "at no stage has a confirmed offer of another property been made".

Mr Griffiths said: "It is Bailey's needs, not ours. She wants to stay with us, she doesn't want to move out. She is entitled to stay with us as a family but she also needs her own bathroom.

"We have never had carers because there isn't enough room. There is lots of dangers in the house, it is just not suitable."

Mr Griffiths and his partner have three children, including a baby

They are eligible for a £30,000 government grant for an extension but are unable to use it on their current home.

Mr Griffiths said: "It is frustrating. It wears you down. We go through this every day, it does affect us; it affects Bailey too.

"We are desperate. We're stuck and we need help to get this resolved. We want Bailey to be happy."

A Stroud District Council spokesperson said: "We have investigated a number of different solutions to help meet their needs.

"We are working with partners to identify alternative housing options and have explored the feasibility of other homes."